Review of Paper Towns (2015) by Sydney C — 10 Aug 2015

When I went to the theater to see Paper Towns, I had been told that the movie was a disappointment. Despite the mediocre reviews, I had an open mind and decided not to let other people influence my opinion of the movie.

As I watched the movie, I smiled, laughed, wondered, and questioned some of the more common "Hollywood Ending's.".

When the Paper Towns was over, I thought long and hard about why people gave it such low ratings. I personally thought that this movie was questioning morals and daily rituals that we, as people, live by, but in a light and gentle way. For example, Quentin tells Margo that his life goals involve going to college, getting married, and having kids, which, if one thinks about it, are the exact same paths and goals that most citizens tries to follow. She, instead, asks him if that's all he wants out of life. It made me notice, as a high schooler that the "road of life" that Quentin felt was destined to follow, is very similar to what most people want. Or, at least what they think they want.

I also would like to praise Paper Towns for excellent acting, humor, characterization, and especially character development. The development throughout the movie for each character was distinct and specific. For instance, Margo, at school was this amazing girl who was a mystery that people wanted to solve. Everyone thought her life was "a series of epic adventures." However, it was briefly indicated through her parents coolness about her running away, that she never really had a great home life, and that she didn't particularly get along with her parents. Her runaway to an unknown town was just her realizing that she needed some space to figure out what she wanted out of life and who she was. Frankly, she was a mystery to herself. Quentin started out in the beginning of the movie as a wannabe in the since that he was always wishing to have a life that he did not and that he, like many people, saw Margo as this extraordinary person that was more than life. In the end, he learns that it's a "treacherous thing to believe that a person can be more than a person," when Margo was just a girl that was lost and trying to find her way. He went crazy and obsessed at the end of his road trip and almost lost his friends because he felt that he needed to find Margo, without even realizing the great adventure and fun he had along the way. He learns that it's important not to be caught up in the destination, and to enjoy the ups and downs of the ride.

Lastly, I would like to clarify that the majority of people that believed the ending was a let down was due to the fact that the two main characters didn't end up together. I see it as a step towards actual reality and truth, and away from Hollywood endings. This movie was enjoyable and I praise it for not being sucked in to the world of Hollywood so that they could show the character development to the audience by portraying Margo as just needing space to find out who she was and Quentin as someone who had to stop believing that she was his miracle when really his miracle was the life that he had already been given.

Sydney Cox.